Growing Russian military activity on the Estonian border and more broadly in the Baltic Sea region is not necessarily a threat, critics say.

Today, Eesti Päevaleht reported that it obtained an official document describing increasing Russian military capabilities in the Baltic region. This followed remarks last week by the undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense in which he called for the development of Estonian reconnaissance activities and response capabilities; the Defense Ministry has been tight-lipped upon follow-up queries.

Retired Lt. Gen. and former commander in chief of the Defense Forces, Johannes Kert commented on the developments, telling uudised.err.ee that Russian military activity was not concerning for him. "I cannot currently envision any kind of military confrontation. Officials in both Estonia and in NATO are broadly informed of the topic and we should not draw tumultuous conclusions,” Kert said.

The relocation of troops and increased activity are just signs of a more organized military, not necessarily an aggressive political move, he said. "There is no danger of war. They are locating their present forces to previously empty or abandoned bases,” Kert said.